Buyback Franken-set: Heritage, Heritage, Heritage

Well, it seems like after 10 at night is about the only time I can manage to squeeze a post in these days!  It's been over a week since I made any progress on my buyback franken-set project so let's take a look at another batch this evening...

1969 Topps #631 - John Kennedy

Tonight's group consists entirely of 2018 Topps Heritage 1969 buybacks, picked up as part of a small lot of these on eBay.  I don't get into many modern sets these days, but I do get excited for Heritage ever year just because of these buybacks.  This John Kennedy was a big reason I was drawn to this particular lot, being a great high-numbered Pilot (meaning you get to see the proper Pilots cap as opposed to hat-less player or airbrush job).

It turns out I didn't have a #631 buyback in the binder yet, so this one slides right into the franken-set.  Score!  I could end tonight's post right here and consider it a win.

1969 Topps #663 - Dick Radatz

Here's a significantly less cool Dick Radatz.  This is a great example of why sets from the '60s are often so polarizing for me.  For every card I adore, and there are many of them, there's one like this.  I feel bad saying this, because Radatz had some very good seasons with the Red Sox earlier in the decade, but it won't take much to keep this card from the binder.

This Fred Lynn "card that never was" Turn Back the Clock buyback from 1990 Topps, which already sits in slot 663, is certainly enough to repel Radatz.

I would've loved nothing more than to have moved Fred Lynn over to the dedicated 1990 Topps buyback set I have going, but I have to maintain some integrity here.  I'll have to keep my eye out for a duplicate Lynn or another, better #663 buyback...

1969 Topps #664 - Ron Hunt

Another high-number '69 here, in fact Ron Hunt is the very next card after Dick Radatz on the '69 checklist.  At least we have a halfway interesting photo on this one, and Ron is wearing a hat as he should be.  This was a number I was missing as well, Hunt makes the cut!

1969 Topps #469 - Chico Ruiz

I love this one.  Chico hit just .245 in 1969, but he sure looks like he was enjoying himself nonetheless.  Look at the paint chipping on that batting cage, too!  That would never fly in a modern MLB ballpark.  Amazingly, this is another number I was missing previously for this project.  Going three-for-four like I just did is a rare feat indeed at this stage of completion.

1969 Topps #464 - Dave Marshall

Next up, Dave Marshall of the Giants.  The star of the show here is the oversized Topps All-Star Rookie Trophy graphic.  I've mentioned this before, but I commend Topps for putting the buyback stamp opposite the trophy here.  I've seen a few examples where they stamped right over the trophy, which just seems wrong (yes I understand the irony in saying that seems wrong, when to many collectors just stamping these to begin with is borderline sacrilege).

With Dave Marshall's card we break the run of new numbers, as this relatively new Nick Swisher buyback already sat in slot 464.

No offense to Nick Swisher, who was a better big league player than Dave Marshall, but the All-Star Rookie Trophy rules all.

1969 Topps #463 - Dennis Ribant

Next up, Royals hurler Dennis Ribant against one of those fantastically bizarre backdrops that were so prevalent in the '60s and '70s.  This is a cool card in that it's what Dimebox Nick would refer to as a "zero year" card, meaning Ribant never actually played for the Royals.  Kansas City acquired him from the Tigers in December of 1968.  Though he went through Spring Training with KC in 1969, where this photograph was taken, he was actually purchased by the Cardinals at the outset of the season on March 29th.

As much as I like the Ribant, it draws stiff competition as the franken-set goes.  It's pretty beat to hell, but I love this 1974 World Series subset buyback from the '75 Topps set.  Having Rollie Fingers' impressive mustache within the confines of the franken-set binder is important to me.

Sticking with the '75.

1969 Topps #461 - Mike Epstein

A classic pre-game warm-up shot here on first baseman Mike Epstein's card.  Mike, who was known for taking big hacks but not necessarily making contact or hitting for average, clubbed 30 round-trippers in 1969!

This '78 Rob Andrews buyback from the 2016 program has been holding down slot 461...

...but Epstein certainly wins that match-up.  I mean, the guy's nickname was SuperJew!  Easy call there.

1969 Topps #629 - Jack Hamilton

Jack Hamilton played less than a full season with the Indians, yet he's immortalized on cardboard with the team.  A good look here at the Chief Wahoo logo, something you'll be seeing a whole lot less of starting next year.  I'm curious as to what's going on behind Jack there, looks like someone leaning against a metal gate in front of a whitewashed wall.

This is my first #629 buyback, Hamilton makes the cut.

1969 Topps #529 - Ed Kirkpatrick

In a 16-year MLB career, Ed Kirkpatrick's five seasons with the Royals were just about the only ones where he was close to a full time player.  1969 may have been the best single season of his career, as he had only one season with better power numbers but hit almost 30 points lower that year as far as batting average.  He doesn't look too pleased here for some reason, but he should cheer up a bit given that he makes the binder by default as my first #529 buyback!

1969 Topps #507 - Cookie Rojas

Last buyback for tonight, and maybe my favorite of the entire post.  Cookie Rojas had quite a few gems issued during his career, and his '69 issue is certainly one of them.  I was pleased to see this one included in the lot, and even more so when I realized it was yet another new number for the project!

I can't believe I went six for ten here as far as new numbers.  It may very well be the last time I get that kind of percentage in a ten-card post.  Hell, even two of the four that weren't new numbers battled their way into the binder.  Really happy I picked up this lot, the binder's a whole lot stronger now than it was before adding these.

Thanks for stopping by and reading along!

Franken-set Progress: 606/792 (76%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 64/792 (8%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 460
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,130

Cleaning Up with a T206

Well, I haven't been as active on the blog during my vacation week here as I'd originally intended.  It's with good reason though, as I've been dedicating the bulk of my time to some cleanup efforts around my house, most notably in my office/hobby room.

In addition to completely rearranging the layout of the room itself, I've been purging cardboard that doesn't really fit my collection as much these days (many of you will be receiving packages in the coming days) as I go through a massive reorganization and categorization of the cards I am keeping on the Trading Card Database.

Cleaning up my office has been rewarding in another sense as well, as I've rediscovered some real gems that I've picked up over the years yet never showed here on the blog for some reason.  Here's one such example:

Always a good day when you can add a T206 to your collection!  I obviously don't know a whole lot about Harry Niles, who was briefly a roommate of the great Branch Rickey.  Looks like he was what you'd describe as a "fan favorite" during his brief time with Boston though.

I don't need to drone on about how great the T206 cards are, I think I'm in the majority there anyway.  Every time I stumble across one of these I ask myself why I haven't been searching out more of them.  Little works of art if you ask me.

This particular card is the Piedmont back.  My ultimate goal is to get one of every Red Sox front variation in the set.  I don't really care as much about the backs, though I suppose it would be nice to get a variation of backs among the thirteen different fronts I'm aiming for.

Harry here is my sixth Red Sox card from this iconic set.  Still a ways to go, but if you'd told me years ago that I'd even get to half a dozen I'd have been skeptical.  Tris Speaker is the biggest obstacle to completion but you never know, maybe someday...

Do you have any T206 cards in your collection?  Are there any that you're in the market for, or would recommend I seek out besides the Red Sox cards?

Signature Sundays - Ageless Wonder

One of my favorite type of cards to collect are those of players who last at the highest level of their sport far longer than their competitors are able to.  Guys like Jaromir Jagr, who only just wrapped up his NHL career this past season, or Bartolo Colon, who's still taking the mound at 44 years of age.

This week's Signature Sundays subject was certainly one of those players!

Love this one!  I just can't get enough of these '92-93 Ultra buybacks from last year's Fleer Showcase release.  I'm probably up to around ten or so now, with Chelios here being my third autograph (Nick Lidstrom and Jaromir Jagr are the other two).  Yeah, I'm hopelessly addicted to these throwbacks to my childhood collecting days.

Chelios was one of the league's premier defensemen for a long while, including during my formative years as a kid fan between 1989 and the mid-'90s.  He's a three-time Stanley Cup champion, a member of the Hockey HOF, and was recently voted one of the top 100 players of all time.  To me though, the most impressive thing about his career...

...is that he started in the NHL way back in 1984...

...and played his last game in 2010!  At the age of 48!  Only the great Gordie Howe, during his comeback season in 1979-80 with the Hartford Whalers, ever skated in an NHL game at an older age than Chris.  If that doesn't make you feel just a little better about getting older then I'm not sure anything will.

Here's the back of the card (just about everyone producing trading cards today could learn a thing or two from '92-93 Ultra if you ask me).  These are limited to 25 copies each, and the serial number on the hologram sticker there...

...is linked to the serial number on the CoA that comes with the card.

Yup, I'm pretty pumped about this week's autograph addition.  I like that Chris included the proper uniform number to go with his signature.  This is something he clearly pays attention to, as the Panini Classics Signature autograph of his that I landed a few years back has a signature that references #24 to match the Canadiens sweater he was wearing in the photograph.  Kudos to Chelios for that level of attention to detail!

Thanks as always for spending a few minutes of your time here.  Who's your favorite "ageless wonder"?  Any players that you collect in particular for that reason?  If so I'd love to hear about it in the comments...

Buyback Franken-set: Celebrating 600 with Jim Kaat

Today is the beginning of a badly needed week off from work for me.  I can think of no better way to celebrate than by sliding a 600th card into my buyback franken-set binder.  It's a good one too, check it out!

1965 Topps #62 - Jim Kaat

Yes, it's the great Jim Kaat (or Katt if you're to believe this 1965 Topps card).  Jim pitched an impressive 25 years at the Major League level, a career that spanned four different decades.  It's cool to me to think that a guy who was on a big league mound in 1959 was still at it after I was born in 1982.  You have to respect 16 Gold Gloves and 3 All-Star selections, too.

When I stumbled across this Heritage box-topper buyback on Sportlots a while back for $2.50 plus a very reasonable 80 cents shipping I pounced on it.  Aside from being an all-around nice card, I didn't yet have a #62 buyback for the project so this card was a perfect fit.

This one completes a page as well!  Some nice cards here, but my biased favorite is that '61 buyback of "Marvelous" Marv Throneberry in the upper right (he shared my birthday).

600 cards in the binder now, pretty unbelievable.  With less than 200 numbers left to go, I'm getting more and more confident that I'm actually going to finish this project off someday.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to visit again soon as I'll have a new post up every day for at least the next ten days!  Ah, vacation...

Franken-set Progress: 600/792 (75%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 64/792 (8%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 456
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,120

Buyback Franken-set: A Pair of Populated Pages & a Petrocelli

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.  Let's get on with it!

1970 Topps #81 - Dave May

I know Dave May wasn't a superstar or anything, but that is a nice looking 1970 Topps card if you ask me.  It's got a slightly blurry/dreamy kind of vibe to it.  I've really started taking a liking to this set in recent years, I'd love to slide this card into the franken-set binder.  In order to do so though...

...I'd have to bump Pete Redfern here.

Don't have a problem with that!

1974 Topps #124 - Bob Coluccio

I'll admit I don't know a damn thing about Bob Coluccio.  Not exactly the most exciting card that 1974 Topps has to offer.  Hey, they can't all be stars.  Maybe this one will at least plug a gap in the set?

Nope, George Mitterwald's 1977 card has been in slot 124 for a bit.

The Coluccio just isn't compelling enough to merit replacing Mitterwald.

1973 Topps #429 - Jim Fairey

Some nice palm trees in the background on this Jim Fairey, no way this photo was taken in Montreal!  1973 was actually Fairey's final Major League season, and he spent it with the Dodgers not the Expos.

Already had this Tony LaRussa in slot 429.  Not off to a great start today with respect to new numbers for the binder.

There's no way I could toss LaRussa in favor of Fairey.

1972 Topps #245 - Tommie Agee

Finally get a new number here, with "Miracle Met" Tommie Agee's 1972 Topps card.  Though he was only in his late 20s by 1972, Agee's career was already in sharp decline.  The 1966 Rookie of the Year never played another MLB game after 1973, just his age 30 season.  Of the '70s releases, 1972 Topps might be the toughest set to find buybacks from.  At least that's been my experience so far.  Happy to have Agee in the binder.

1979 Topps #219 - Roy Smalley

Roy Smalley looks like he's up to something here on his 1979 Topps card.  I know I made a mistake here.  When I thumbed to the appropriate page and looked in pocket 219 of the set I found this card standing in Roy's way:

Nothing all that spectacular if I'm being honest, but I much prefer the '75 Topps set to the '79 release.  So...

...I sent Roy Smalley off to the rejected box.  What I didn't realize at the time, and learned while typing up this post, is that 1979 was the pinnacle of Smalley's career.  He played every single game of the season for the Twins that year, 161 at shortstop and a single game at first base.  Smalley led the league in plate appearances and posted career highs in hits, doubles, home runs (24) and RBI (95) en route to his only All-Star selection.

Yeah, I'm going to have to right this wrong at some point.

1978 Topps #97 - Stan Bahnsen

With no disrespect to the man, Stan Bahnsen looks almost nothing like a professional athlete on this card.  The 1968 AL Rookie of the Year has one of the best nicknames in baseball history, "The Bahnsen Burner".  Love it.  Don't love this 1978 card nearly as much though.

There's no chance it's going to force Mike Cuellar here from the franken-set binder.

Sorry Stan.

1967 Topps #383 - Ken Henderson

Next up, outfielder Ken Henderson, who enjoyed a 16-year MLB career.  Ken played for 7 different franchises during that time, though his 8 years with the Giants were by far the most he spent with any one team.  This 2016 Heritage box-topper is a new number for the project as well at #383.  Welcome to the franken-set binder Mr. Henderson!

1976 Topps #276 - Mickey Scott

Mickey Scott looks a bit creeped out on his 1976 card here.  Scott went 3-0 in 33 appearances out of the 'pen in 1976.  Not a terribly exciting buyback I have to admit, but it's a great one for this project because it's a new number...

...and it completes a page!  After a long build-up it's nice to be getting to the point where I'm completing pages on a somewhat regular basis now.

Highlight of this page for me is undoubtedly the rookie card of Bill "Spaceman" Lee in the lower right!

1966 Topps #6 - Chuck Schilling

Here's a nice Topps Heritage box-topper buyback of Red Sox second baseman Chuck Schilling.  This is actually a "sunset card", as Schilling played his entire five-season MLB career with Boston between 1961 and 1965.  For the second card in a row here we have a new number for the binder...

...and a completed page!  I'm very pleased to have the very first page in the set completed at long last.  With four Nolan Ryans, a Pete Rose, and a Mark Fidrych 1/1 this has to be my best completed page to date.  I won't mind staring at this every time I open the binder going forward.

1966 Topps #298 - Rico Petrocelli

Here's the last card for today, and by far my favorite in today's post.  In fact, I picked up the small lot of ten buybacks you see today on eBay a long while back pretty much solely because I wanted this Rico Petrocelli.  I paid $9 and change for the lot, and was pretty pleased as I would've gladly forked out that amount for this Rico alone!

A '60s buyback of a popular player from my favorite team featuring the great oversize All-Star Rookie trophy?  Yes, please!  I'm very pleased that Topps was wise enough to place the buyback stamp on the right side of the card here and not obstruct that beautiful trophy graphic.  I've definitely seen others where that is not the case.

Larry Herndon stands between Petrocelli and franken-set glory.

But gets booted from the binder, no questions asked.  I'd be a fool to keep this card in the franken-set while that amazing Petrocelli sat in the rejected box.

Not a bad lot at all today.  Four new numbers for the project have me sitting on the precipice of 600 cards in the franken-set, and even where there were conflicts I made a couple of improvements, most notably the Petrocelli.

Tune in next time to see if I can cross the 600 buyback threshold.  Thanks for stopping by!

Franken-set Progress: 599/792 (75%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 64/792 (8%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 456
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,119